Performer Auditions

Thank you for making the YMT auditions such a great experience. My daughter said she had a fantastic day and that everyone was so friendly. A great balance of challenging content but delivered in a really positive spirit.

Parent

Bookings for our 2018 Audition Tour, taking place in January/February, are now open.

Booking

Do I need to prepare anything?

Yes! Once you have booked onto a YMT Audition for 2018 we would like you to prepare a veryshort song and a veryshort monologue in advance. Choose from our list of songs or you can bring your own song (accompanied or unaccompanied). For the monologue this can be taken from a text or from film or TV. Please carefully read through the information.

If you have done auditions before, please note that this year we are changing the format and asking young people to prepare something in advance if they can. If you have not prepared anything, do not to worry,just come along and join in, we will still have plenty of material in the room.

What will happen in the audition?

Your audition is a half-day group workshop led by professional theatre practitioners. They will be looking to gauge how well you dance, sing, act and work as a team. When you arrive you will meet the team, and they will talk you through what to expect. Your group will learn a song together, and you will then be asked to sing the song you have prepared. You will also take part in a group dance and have the chance to show the team some improvised movement. We will look at your acting skills through short improvised scenes in groups or apis as well as listening to your own monologue if you have one - if you don't we will have some monologue sheets in the rehearsal room.

What are you auditioning for?

You are auditioning to join the YMT Company and take part in YMT's 2018 Summer Season of New Music Theatre. These are two/three-week residential courses where you'll work with a professional artistic team to create a brand new piece of music theatre that will be performed in a professional theatre at the end of the project. Unlike most other Youth Theatres, YMT is unique in creating ONLY brand new shows. Be part of something incredible and star in one of eight new shows taking place across the UK.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for ANYONE aged 11-21 who loves theatre! We are looking for people with guts, determination, integrity, ambition, energy, authenticity, generosity and a willingness to give it everything! You don't need to have any prior experience whatsover; we are looking for potential!

The detailed casting information for each of our productions will be uploaded on Current Shows page.

How are the productions cast?

Selection is not based on where you live, so you could be put onto a project anywhere in the UK - Plymouth, Aberdeen, Belfast, London! YMT projects are residential courses - so you'll be staying in university/boarding school-style accommodation away from your family. This gives you the unique opportunity to meet like-minded people, develop your skills and build confidence all whilst eating, sleeping and breathing theatre!

What happens when you arrive at an audition?

When you arrive, a YMT team member will be there to register you (and help you get rid of any nerves!). Parents/carers are not allowed in the audition room but are welcome to wait outside the audition area. There will always be a member of staff around before, during and after the audition to answer any questions you may have. We're also on the lookout for any parents/carers interested in volunteering to help with registrations - email hannahkipling@ymtuk.org

What should I bring?

You will need to wear loose comfortable clothing (NOT JEANS), trainers or jazz shoes and bring a bottle of water. You will also need to fill in our Audition Registration Form and bring it with you with two colour passport photos attached. The Audition Registration Form can also be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

What happens after the audition?

Everyone will be given a mark for acting, singing and dancing based on the practitioners notes, which are made during your audition. After your audition the creative team meet for a casting session to match the most suitable performers to the skills required for a range of different shows. Their feedback will then go back to the YMT office team who will prepare offer packs and letters to go out to everyone by the end of March 2017. Please bear with us during this time and we will be in touch as soon as we can.

You may be successful and receive an offer to join the YMT Company or you may not make it onto a show this time. Please don't be disheartened if you don't receive an offer, there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved with YMT, especially through YMT's Summer Skills Courses! We also aim to provide specific feedback and advice from your audition so you know where you can improve - this is available throughout April - May 2017.

How much is the audition?

There is a non-refundable booking fee of £40 for YMT Performer Auditions. Paying for auditions is standard industry practice and as an not-for-profit educational charity, the money that YMT receives covers the cost of staffing and venue hire. Unlike many auditions for Performing Arts colleges, which can be £50.00 for a 10-minute audition, YMT's Auditions are three hours long giving all auditionees the chance to really show their talent! Discounts are also available for Group bookings - please get in touch with the office or details about these.

This year, due to charitable funding, YMT is able to offer the special audition rate of £5 to those in receipt of free school meals/pupil premium. This offer can be claimed by using promotion code FSM-OFFER-2018 when booking online or booking over the phone 020 8563 7725, the participant will need to bring proof of their receipt of free school meals/pupil premium to their audition.

Is there a course fee?

If successful, there is a course fee. YMT is a not-for-profit educational charity and so our primary source of income comes from course fees. The course fee varies depending on the length of the course and whether you're a performer or a musician. For 2017 our courses for performers start at £1,450 go up to £1,850 and our courses for musicians start at £750 go up to £1,300. This may sound expensive but it covers all-inclusive accommodation for the whole duration, tuition from leading industry professionals, 24-hour full pastoral care, theatre hire, sets, props, costumes, sound design and technical staff. We never ask for the course fee to paid in one lump sum, instead we create a flexible payment plan. Furthermore, we run a comprehensive bursary scheme if required and we're always happy to offer help on ways to raise money.

Stage Scholarships

Youth Music Theatre UK and The Stage are delighted to announce that we are offering a Stage Scholarship to one lucky performer who auditions in 2018.

The STAGE Scholarship is a 100% Bursary for a young person who is successful at YMT auditions. If eligible they will receive a full scholarship to take part in one of YMT's eight summer production projects; it offers full-board accommodation on a residential production, as well as tuition and pastoral care, and production costs at the venue.

There are three criteria to be eligible for The Stage Scholarship at YMT:
• The young person aged 11-21 must not have taken part in YMT production projects before.
• They must be eligible for our Bursary Scheme, i.e. from a household with income below the threshold of £30,000 p.a.
• Given the above two criteria, they will be the highest scoring individual in the year as judged by our team of directors, choreographers and musical directors. More information about the Stage Scholarships can be found here.

If you have any questions about YMT Auditions, please contact the YMT team by email: mail@ymtuk.org or call: 020 8563 7725